Monthly Archives: November 2006

Wize product review aggregator. ‘Wize sucks in thousands of product reviews from all over the web and calculates what they call a WizeRank (ala Google’s PageRank) based on what folks are saying. View products listed by WizeRank by category (like digital cameras or flat panel televisions) and view reviews from all over the web in one place with links to buy online.’Lifehacker

‘Yours Truly,’ the E-Variations. ‘As negotiations started to break down, the sign-offs started to get decidedly shorter and cooler,” Mr. Troutwine recalled. “In the beginning it was like, ‘I look forward to speaking with you soon’ and ‘Warmest regards,’ and by the end it was just ‘Best.’ ” The deal was eventually completed, but Mr. Troutwine still felt as if he had been snubbed.’New York Times

Gigabyte gets official with g-Smart i120. ‘Though we’d have to put that tricky keypad through its paces ourselves before signing off on its goodness, the specs don’t lie: you get a 2.1 megapixel cam, 256MB of ROM with miniSD expansion, Bluetooth, FM radio, 64MB of RAM, 802.11b / g (for when the GPRS data speeds don’t quite cut it) — and perhaps most notably, a TV tuner capable of pulling in NTSC, PAL, and SECAM with recording capability.’Engadget

Cell phone unlocking legal (for three years). ‘The provision likely to be of most interest to consumers is the one allowing cell phones to be unlocked and used on other networks. The Copyright Office allowed this exception because the software that prohibits users from accessing their phone’s firmware has little to do with copyright and much to do with a business model.’Ars Technica

Free DVD rentals from your local Redbox. ‘For the uninitiated, Redbox vending machines let you rent and return DVDs. They’re cropping up all over, in places like grocery stores and McDonald’s. You can rent online, Netflix-style, and then pick up your movie at the Redbox, or just rent on-the-spot.’Lifehacker

Smart homes a reality in S Korea. ‘The air quality here is important to mother and child and so she pops on the air purifying unit, which could be anywhere in the home, because it gets its instructions from the plug socket. Each flat makes use of the electricity cables to transfer data as well as power. Each appliance has to be compatible with a system called HomeNet, one of a number of competing systems on offer in South Korea. The choice of service also limits what devices Koreans can buy to hook into the system as each appliance needs to be compatible.’BBC NEWS

Robot with ‘human soul’ explores remotely. ‘Technology that lets a human “inhabit” the body of a distant robot for remote exploration is being tested in Germany. The robot sits on top of a wheeled platform and has an extendable arm that it uses to manipulate objects. An operator moves the robot around by simply walking or using a foot pedal and can see out of twin cameras positioned on the robot’s head after donning a head-mounted display.’New Scientist

Faces of Extreme Death: Oregon Scientific’s Sweet ATC2K Helmet Cam. ‘Just in time for snowboarding season is Scientific Oregon’s Xtreme helmet cam. It’s waterproof, uses SD cards, and shoots at 640 by 480 at 30FPS. It’s half the size of the original cam, the not so good ATC-1000, notorious for shipping inside of a fully stocked first aid kit.’Gizmodo